1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gateway apparatus connected to a home network connected to the internet, and more particularly, to a getaway apparatus enabling apparatuses on the home network that do not directly access to the internet to communicate, such as a digital camera and hot-water supply system, to be controlled through the internet from a remote place.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with techniques using the internet progressing remarkably, the internet has been widely spread in not only companies, but also in general homes. The internet is mainly used for e-mail, internet shopping, internet telephone and Web search in the homes.
Further it becomes familiar also to the homes to connect a plurality of personal computers and peripheral apparatuses as a network to share. This technique is achieved by blending and combining, for example, provision service of internet provider, technique of networks including Ethernet, internet protocol (IP), and OS of personal computer.
However, almost of products connected to a home network to be controlled do not access to the internet directly, and therefore do not have IP addresses. Hence it is impossible to transmit data using the internet from a remote place to the products connected to the home network to be controlled such as a digital camera and hot-water supply system. Further since such products require particular data conversion processing (for example, when data is output to a color printer, there is a possibility that conversion of RGB data format into CMY data format is required in some cases), it is difficult also in the view of data format to access to the products connected to the home network to be controlled using the internet.